Do you want to look really smart to those that you travel with to the Grand Canyon?  Read through these facts and figures and you will have more time to enjoy the scenery and have the answers to the questions that will no doubt enter your mind once you are at the Canyon.

One questions everyone asks: How many people have fallen off the top of the Grand Canyon?

There are some numbers available to answer this question, but sources can be conflicting.  Since 1870, according to the book “Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon,”there have been over 600 deaths in the Grand Canyon, most of which are not from people falling from the top. We have observed that since 2010 there have been deaths reported in the news on average one death every 2-3 months.  

Other Interesting Facts about the Grand Canyon:

1. The Grand Canyon ranges from 4 to 18 miles wide (6 - 28km) and is 277 miles long (445km) (that's river miles).
2. On average, it is 5000 feet deep (1,524m or over half a kilometre deep)
3. The entire Grand Canyon is essentially tilted: the northern rim is 1200 ft higher than the southern rim.
4. The climate within the canyon is semi-arid, and the floor in Summer can heat up to 106 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).
5. It is the third largest canyon in the world (exceeded by Barranca de Cabre in Northern Mexico and Hell's Canyon in Idaho).
6. Around 88 species of mammals, 250 - 300 species of birds, 25 types of reptiles and five species of amphibians all live in the Grand Canyon.
7. The first white man to discover the Grand Canyon was García López de Cárdenas in 1540.
8. Scientists suggest it took 3-6 million years to form.
9. It was carved with a single river, the Colorado, by the process of erosion.
10. 800 million gallons of water flow through it per hour (that's 3028 million litres).
11. It is a "Natural Wonder of the World".
12. Its base is about 1/3 of the earth's age.
13. The floor of the Grand Canyon contains fossil footprints of over 20 species of reptiles and amphibians, yet no fossilised reptile bones or teeth have ever been uncovered.
14. Due to the absence of actual soil in the Canyon, very little plant life can grow on the floor, except for desert plants.
15. It is the site of the rare Brady Pin-cushion cactus, discovered in 1958.
16. The oldest human artifacts in the Grand Canyon are estimated to be 3000-4000 years old.

Movies filmed at the Grand Canyon:

• Bride and Prejudice
• Dill Scallion
• Due Date
• Fools Rush In
• Grand Canyon
• Held Up
• Into the Wild
• Koyaanisqatsi
• Maverick
• Next
• Nurse Betty
• Thelma & Louise
• The Thief of Bagdad
• The Trial of Billy Jack
• Transformers
• National Lampoon's Vacation
• Waking Up in Reno